Center: Dwight Howard
Power Forward: Brandon Bass
Small Forward: Hedo Turkoglu
Shooting Guard: Jason Richardson
Point Guard: Jameer Nelson
The Breakdown
The first thing fantasy owners noticed is that Gilbert Arenas will be coming off the bench as the team's sixth man. Word is that he volunteered for the role to ease the transition for his new teammates. While he should play around 30 minutes a night, fantasy owners should not expect much more than they got out of him off the bench in Washington. It would not surprise us to see his stats take a slight dip with the wealth of offensive options at Van Gundy's disposal.
Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson immediately moved into the starting line up and played over 30 minutes each, though neither played very well tonight. Turkoglu is worth a speculative add in standard leagues as long as he continues to receive big minutes, but we're not expecting the old Hedo. If Turkoglu continues to struggle, don't be afraid to let him go. As for Richardson, his value should be just slightly lower compared to what it was in Phoenix.
Team managers should also note that Brandon Bass has taken over the starting power forward slot. He played 31 minutes tonight and put up a solid line of 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Bass is a player that should be targeted in all formats. He can be a decent source of points, rebounds, and FG% if he continues to play 30+ minutes a game. With the lack of size on Orlando's bench, it would not surprise us to see Brandon having an increased role for the rest of the season.
Finally, we saw Quentin Richardson and J.J. Reddick play fewer minutes than usual. Coming off the bench, Richardson has lost what little value he previously had and should be dropped. We still expect Reddick to see decent minutes off the bench, but his owners should monitor his playing time and production in the next few games. If he continues to see under 20 minutes a game, he should be dropped in all but the deepest of formats.
